Hi all, Just having a little fettle with my quick lite, rinsed the tank which was surprisingly clean, cleaned it up etc and got round to the dunk test, so it was leaking from the genie base, check valve and from under the gland nut, so i tightened everything up and its sorted the leaks on the genie (which i will anneal later) and the check valve and there is now only a minute bubble appearing very slowly from the gland nut, now being run on naptha any leak at all is not a good idea i presume so i'd like to know has anyone done a video on how to replace or repair the packing, i have read a few things but couldn't find any pictures to help explain how to do it, also can i only buy the material from the States or is it available over here? Thanks.
Just pulling your leg, MG... . (I thought you might have been pulling mine... ) Seriously, though, I think the correct packing is fairly easy to obtain from the US via eBay. Otherwise, Terry (Trojandog) sells graphite sheet which can do the job and I think he lists it here. Some folk wrap graphite string around the shaft and tighten up the gland nut. I've never had to do it myself though...
Just used some of Terry's graphite sheet to repackage my quicklite gland nut! Was not sure as to wether the knob should be closed then packed and the nut then tightened or if it should be open? Nick
@David Shouksmith life would be pretty boring if we couldn't have a laugh! Excellent i will have a look now thanks, i have never done it before so wasn't sure what to expect, @Nick Powell another question i may have needed to ask
@Nick Powell and @MG, Not really sure if it makes any difference but on the ones I've repacked, I've closed the valve first.
I have always used PTFE gas tape to repack these glands. Just twist it into a string and wind a couple of turns around the spindle. It will stand the heat and do a good job. Any good hardware shop will stock it. Gas tape mind not the flimsy water tape. ::Neil::
I can't see that working. The original packing for the lantern is asbestos string that is wound inside the nut. I don't know if that or something equivalent is available locally for you. Also Old Coleman parts in the states sell the SMALL , lead gland packing that works best to me but may not be available in the UK.
I have pt'd @Trojandog for some of his graphite sheet as sadly postage costs from the States make small purchases uneconomical and if no joy from him then i will need to think of something else to use.
I use what mac uses. leave the old and add the new. often times if you heat the nut and tighten a bit they will seal with no additions.
I recently saw some PTFE string in the plumbing department at the local builders merchant but I've no idea how thick it is or the price. Can't go wrong with graphite though. Henry.
@David Shouksmith i saw that after you suggested it but as it is dated 2012 i wasn't sure if he still sold it, shall i just follow the instructions and send him my details?
@ROBBO55 Thanks, i PT'd him last night but only asking if he still sold it and that i wanted one sheet, shall i send him my order details like it says in the old add?
@MG Terry (Trojandog) is a very active stovie on CCS. His graphite foil sheets are excellent and he still supplies them.
@MG I know he has just finished cutting new sheets so send him an order. Also I suggest purchasing more than one sheet for future lanterns and other items
Well i give up on the graphite sheet, i've tried three times now and i can't get the valve to seal, i even did the nut up as tight as i could which made the knob difficult to turn and all that did was turn the small bubbles into a stream of minute bubbles, maybe i'll order some gas ptfe and try that instead
Hi Mark, Mmmm, that graphite is good stuff and should do the job. Are you sure you're putting it in the right place ? Is your valve like this ? Once you've screwed the valve stem out, push the nut right back to the knob wheel. Push the thick washer back a little way and then remove the pin (2nd image) which may need a little encouragement. You can then slide the washer off (if you also remove the nut, you can get the valve stem really clean). Wrap a strip of the graphite paper around the stem as tightly as you can - not easy I know and it will deform but it will compress to make a good seal when the job is done - and push it inside the nut. As long as you leave a couple of threads showing, you should be O.K. Slide the washer back on and insert the pin making sure that it sticks out evenly on both sides. Screw the valve back in tighten the nut and you're done. edit: I'm sure I've seen some of these valve stems with a circlip around the stem instead of a pin through it. Henry.
Forgot to mention that if that's where you're putting the graphite, there's no need to remove what you've already put in, just add a little more. Poke it in with something like a small blunt screwdriver if you find it easier, just make sure there're a couple of threads showing so you can get the nut started on the threads on the valve. Henry.
Hi Henry, Ah that's where i'm going wrong then ( i have looked but couldn't find any info or a how too ) i was wrapping the graphite around the stem which is longer than yours, pushing it inside the valve with some overhanging and then doing the nut up so obviously that's why it wouldn't seal properly, haha what a fool i am! mind you the previous owner said he used the lamp and it had no packing whatsoever when i unscrewed the stem so it must have been leaking like a sieve! Your a star, thanks Henry
@Tony Press , Thank you. @MG, the valve I showed is shorter than yours because it's from a Quick Light table lamp. They work the same way. No need for embarrassment, what may seem obvious to some is not necessarily obvious to others. Anyway, you know now, so you have a little more knowledge to tuck under your belt. Henry.
Thanks @Henry Plews that was an excellent tutorial Yes another thing to not put me off the older lamps... or is it I made another schoolboy error, there was some of the old string in there but i took it out and after three more loads i managed to fill the gland nut and stop the leak its surprising how much that graphite sheet will compact if you haven't done it before, Well i got the lamp back together, filled with fuel, pumped it up, took it outside and it won't light, i think there is enough pressure in there and i'm using Naptha based panel wipe if that's ok? Any idea how many pumps of this is enough pressure to make it work? i started at 5 and now i'm at 15 so far and all through the tidy up the jet has been clear.
The jet was blocked solid but the nice people on CCF told me to use my 220K's tip and voila Its not as bright as it looks in the picture which could be down to the 500cp butterfly mantles and its also pulsing a little bit, possibly a pressure issue? but at least its working and not bad for something that's 90 years old.
